Today we are going to be taking a look at one of the
greatest Disney attractions that was never built: Western River
Expedition. While we've talked about the history of the almost made
attraction in the past, let's do a quick recap!

When the Magic Kingdom first opened up in 1971,
Imagineers believed guests on the East coast would be more
interested in the wild west than an attraction like Pirates of the
Caribbean due to the fact that guests could find a presence of
pirates and the Caribbean throughout most of Florida. When the park
first opened up, guests complained that Pirates of the Caribbean
wasn't found in the new park. Due to this, money that was being
saved for the Western River Expedition was put on the shelf.

The amazing thing about the Western River Expedition
was the fact that the attraction would practically be three
attractions in one. The main portion would be a water ride similar
to Splash Mountain. Here guests would travel through a mountain town
known as Thunder Mesa as they saw cowboys, Indians, and lots of
adventure. In addition to the water ride, a roller coaster (in the
form of a train) would accompany the attraction while retelling the
same story from a different vantage point. The Walt Disney World
railroad would pass by at one point as well offering a third vantage
point for the story at hand.

While the attraction never became a reality,
portions of the attraction were placed in various rides such as
Phantom Manor, Living with the Land, Splash Mountain, and of course,
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Due to the fact that the train
portion of the attraction was nearly duplicated in the form of Big
Thunder Mountain Railroad, there are several nods to the Western
River Expedition found at the classic mountain attraction.

This brings us to today's Fun Find! While
walking in the queue for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, take a look
at the crates scattered around:

Here you can find Western River Explosives, a nice
nod to the attraction that almost was!